The joy of making your kids somebody else's problem...
Nerd By Northwest #335 - "Passing-The-Buck-Parenting"
(Click on the image to see the full-size version)
Part of the inspiration for this came from our kids' grandmother. She would always joke that whenever we fly we should seat our young kiddos at the other end of the plane from me and my wife. The way she described it, we would seat the kids at the other end of the plane next to a complete stranger, hand the stranger all of the kids' snacks & toys and say, "Here's everything the kids will need. See you after the plane lands!". Then walk away, leaving the stranger frozen in a state of shock and increasing horror as they realize they're now stuck with two little kids on a 10+ hour flight. Neither my wife or I have that level of audacity, but still it's fun to think about. 😆
Jen's mom and dad, however, decided to do the next best thing... stick one of the older siblings with the little monsters! And that goes to the other source of inspiration, namely my wife's position growing up as the oldest of four kids and having to fill the parents' shoes while they were at work or shopping or what-not. The way she describes it, I tend to think back to the Stranger Things episode where we see Susie's family and the suffering, older sister who's stuck dealing with that gaggle of kids:
And yes, the little kid licking the seat armrest part IS based on a real event. And sadly, that's not even the grossest thing I've seen on an airplane. So how about you? What's the weirdest, craziest, or more disgusting thing YOU have seen while flying? Chime in with a response below, and you may well get to see it play out in a future strip... 😁
Want to see the other Nerd By Northwest webcomics? Use the convenient links below!